Custom Tissue Paper Weights & Materials
Three carefully chosen weights for every application — from lightweight retail wrapping to food-safe greaseproof.
Choosing the right tissue paper weight makes a real difference to how your packaging looks and feels. Too light and it can tear when your team are wrapping at speed. Too heavy and it might not fold the way you need it to, or you'll be paying more than you need to.
We offer three weights — 17gsm, 30gsm, and 40gsm — and each one is designed for different jobs. GSM stands for grams per square metre, which is just a way of measuring how thick the paper is. A lower number means thinner, lighter paper. A higher number means something you can feel more substance in when you pick it up.
Every weight we stock is responsibly sourced, acid-free, and fully recyclable. The inks are water-based and non-toxic. So whichever option you go for, it's going to look good, perform well, and not cause any environmental headaches for you or your customers.
Available Weights
17gsm
Lightweight
Economical, ideal for bulk retail packaging
30gsm
Premium
Luxurious feel for high-end brands
40gsm
Greaseproof
Food-safe for bakeries, delis & hospitality
17gsm — Lightweight Tissue Paper
This is what most of our customers order, and for good reason. At 17gsm it's light, semi-translucent, and has that classic tissue paper feel you'd expect from a high-street boutique or online fashion brand. It folds neatly, scrunches beautifully in a gift box, and prints cleanly with up to two spot colours.
The weight keeps your per-sheet cost down, which matters when you're wrapping thousands of orders a month. It's also the most forgiving paper to work with — staff can wrap quickly without worrying about creasing or tearing. For e-commerce businesses where every parcel gets tissue-wrapped, 17gsm is the sweet spot between quality and practicality.
One thing to bear in mind: because it's semi-translucent, very dark products can show through slightly. If that matters for your presentation, consider using two sheets or stepping up to 30gsm.
Best for
- • Fashion and clothing brands
- • Jewellery and accessories
- • E-commerce packaging at volume
- • Retail gift wrapping
- • Subscription boxes
Printing
- • 1-2 Pantone spot colours
- • Logos, patterns, text
- • Not suited for CMYK
30gsm — Premium Tissue Paper
Step up to 30gsm and you'll notice the difference immediately. It's got more body to it — you can feel the weight in your hand. It's still tissue paper, not card, but there's a noticeable sense of quality that customers pick up on, even if they couldn't tell you the technical reason why.
The real advantage of 30gsm is what it does for printing. The extra thickness means the paper can handle higher ink coverage without warping or bleeding. That makes it the right choice for CMYK full-colour printing — photographs, gradients, detailed illustrations, and designs with lots of colour variation. If your artwork is more complex than a simple logo repeat, this is the weight to go for.
Luxury brands tend to gravitate towards 30gsm because it feels more substantial when a customer unwraps their purchase. The heavier weight also means the paper is fully opaque, so there's no show-through regardless of what's inside.
Best for
- • Luxury and premium brands
- • Full-colour artwork
- • Cosmetics and beauty
- • High-end gift packaging
- • Products needing opacity
Printing
- • CMYK full colour
- • Spot colours (1-4)
- • Photos and gradients
40gsm — Greaseproof Tissue Paper
Our 40gsm option is a different animal entirely. It's greaseproof — meaning it's been treated to resist oil and grease penetration. This is the one you want if you're a bakery wrapping croissants, a deli lining sandwich boxes, or a restaurant branding your takeaway packaging.
The food-safe certification means it meets the standards required for direct and indirect food contact. Combined with our water-based, non-toxic inks, you can print your logo or branding on it without worrying about safety compliance.
At 40gsm it's noticeably thicker than our other options. It feels more like a light wrapping paper than traditional tissue. That extra weight gives it structural integrity — it holds its shape when folded, which is useful when you're lining baskets, trays, or boxes. It prints well with 1-2 spot colours, keeping your food branding clean and professional.
Best for
- • Bakeries and patisseries
- • Delis and sandwich shops
- • Restaurants and cafés
- • Food delivery brands
- • Hospitality and hotels
Key features
- • Food-safe certified
- • Grease-resistant barrier
- • 1-2 spot colours
What It's Made Of
All our tissue paper is made from virgin wood pulp sourced from responsibly managed forests. We don't use recycled fibres for printing because they produce an uneven surface that doesn't hold ink consistently — which means your logo would look patchy.
The paper is acid-free, which means it won't yellow over time or transfer chemicals to whatever you're wrapping. That's particularly important for fashion brands — nobody wants yellow marks on a white silk blouse.
Responsibly Sourced
From responsibly managed forests — verified supply chain from forest to finished product
Acid-Free
Won't yellow, won't damage products, won't degrade over time — safe for archival use
Fully Recyclable
Goes straight in the paper recycling — water-based inks don't contaminate the process
Quick Comparison
| Feature | 17gsm | 30gsm | 40gsm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel | Lightweight & delicate | Substantial & premium | Thick & sturdy |
| Transparency | Semi-translucent | Fully opaque | Fully opaque |
| Best printing | 1-2 spot colours | CMYK full colour | 1-2 spot colours |
| Ideal for | Fashion, jewellery, retail | Luxury brands, complex art | Food, bakeries, hospitality |
| Food safe | No | No | Yes — greaseproof |
| Ink coverage | Light to medium | Light to heavy | Light to medium |
| Cost | Most affordable | Mid-range | Premium |
How to Choose the Right Weight
Start with what you're wrapping. If it's clothing, accessories, or general retail products, 17gsm will do the job well and keep your costs down. Most of our customers are in this category, and they're happy with the results.
If your brand positioning is more premium — think high-end cosmetics, luxury candles, or designer goods — then 30gsm gives you that extra tactile quality. It also opens up CMYK printing, which means you're not limited to one or two colours. If your logo is a gradient or your packaging design uses photography, 30gsm is the way to go.
And if you're in the food industry, 40gsm greaseproof is really your only option. Standard tissue paper will absorb oil and grease almost immediately, which defeats the purpose. Our greaseproof option keeps things clean and professional.
Not sure? Get in touch and we'll send you samples of each weight so you can feel the difference for yourself. Sometimes it's easier to make a decision when you've got the paper in your hands.
Need Help Choosing?
Tell us what you're wrapping and we'll recommend the right weight.